135

8,445

Longest inaugural address. William Henry Harrison, above, spoke for more than 1 hour, 45 minutes on a wet, frigid day in 1841. He died a month later of pneumonia.

737

Longest sentence. John Adams in 1797 used 737 words in a single sentence. Adams was known for his wordiness and loved to hear his own voice.

4

Number of living presidents not to attend their successor’s inauguration. John Adams chose not to attend Thomas Jefferson’s, John Quincy Adams declined to appear with Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson did not attend Ulysses S. Grant’s andRichard Nixon was airborne en route to San Clemente, Calif., when Gerald Ford was inaugurated.

4

Numbers of times “Ruffles and Flourishes” is played after the presidential oath of office is administered. It is followed by “Hail to the Chief.”

2

Numbers of prayers that are traditionally uttered at a presidential inaugural. This year, the Rev. Rick Warren gave the invocation and the Rev. Joseph Lowery, longtime head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, delivered the benediction.

Inaugural firsts

1789: First inaugural address, delivered by George Washington on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York.

1801: First inauguration in Washington, D.C. — Thomas Jefferson was the first person to be sworn in as president in the newly built capital city.

1829: First inauguration on the East Front of the Capitol — Andrew Jackson, a self-styled man of the people, moved the inauguration from the House or Senate chambers to the east portico of the Capitol.

1925: First inauguration broadcast by radio — Calvin Coolidge was the first president to speak to the nation (at least to the lucky few who owned radios) on Inauguration Day.

1981: First inauguration ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. Ronald Reagan, above, moved the swearing-in to face the National Mall. Reagan aides say that part of the reason was so that he would be facing California as he became president. Denver Post wire reports

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that whistleblower protections passed by Congress in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 apply only when those alleging corporate misdeeds bring their information to the government.

A prominent white nationalist is suing Twitter for banning his accounts at a time when social networks are trying to crack down on hateful and abusive content without appearing to censor unpopular opinions.

The social media service Twitter is believed to have suspended thousands of accounts for being automated bots, or for other policy violations, drawing outcry from fringe conservative media figures who lost followers in the move.